Is it real?
Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2024. IRS ruling in Jun 1996.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File
Where the money goes
90 cents of each dollar spent went to programs.
Form 990 Part IX, line 25, columns B–D. Every line is in By the numbers.
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Who runs it and what they're paid
25 people listed on the 990; $1.2M paid to officers and key staff.
Compensation history total reportable pay by year · 8 named individuals · Part VII
| Name | FY2024 | FY2023 | FY2022 | FY2021 | FY2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stephen Meyer | $218,000 | $233,008 | $268,008 | $198,404 | $225,000 |
| Steven Buri | $252,539 | $227,601 | $216,268 | $208,700 | $184,632 |
| John West | $215,000 | $199,941 | $199,941 | $163,838 | $154,780 |
| Jonathan Choe | $163,894 | $145,266 | — | — | — |
| Keri Ingrahm | $155,120 | $148,420 | $140,400 | $128,812 | — |
| Jonathan Witt | $147,734 | $144,642 | $134,568 | $117,569 | $111,655 |
| Nate Jacobson | $137,355 | $134,500 | — | — | — |
| David Klinghoffer | $131,421 | $128,284 | $126,608 | — | — |
Total reportable compensation (Form 990 Part VII column D / Schedule J column E) by filing year, matched by name within this organization. The Schedule J base / bonus / deferred breakdown is not parsed into this dataset.
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Questions the 990 asks
The form asks each of these directly. These are the filed answers.
- Family or business ties among officersPt VI · Ln 2No
- Top official's pay set by an independent reviewPt VI · Ln 15aNo
Programs and updates
Fosters purpose, creativity, and innovation through education and research on global issues.
Questions for Discovery Institute
Your first name shows with your question. Discovery Institute answers here, for everyone.
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The center for science and culture promotes research, education, and discussion relating to the scientific theory of intelligent design. The center's activities include the sponsorship of scientific research and writing; the production of books, articles, reports, and curricula; the organizing of seminars and conferences; and the…
The center on wealth, poverty, and morality connects the practical truths of economics with the perennial truths of ethics. The program - home to leading scholars in philosophy and economics - is building sustained and accessible defense of free enterprise, entrepreneurship, and stewardship in the moral categories consonant with most…
The ai program (walter bradley center of natural and artificial intelligence at discovery institute) explores the benefits as well as the challenges raised by artificial intelligence (ai) in light of the enduring truth of human exceptionalism. People know at a fundamental level that they are not machines.
Funders
Who pays for it.
From grant filings on record. Receipts are incomplete: individual donors are never listed.
Grants
By the numbers
The FY2020 990, line by line.
Download 990
| Line | Start FY20 | End FY20 |
|---|---|---|
| Cash and savingsLn 1–2 | $7.2M | $10.7M |
| Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c | $86K | $91K |
| Total assetsLn 16 | $7.7M | $11.1M |
| LiabilitiesLn 26 | $52K | $44K |
| Net assetsLn 32 | $7.7M | $11.1M |
| Line | Total | Programs | Management | Fundraising |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grants to domestic organizationsLn 1 | $549K | $549K | ||
| Grants to domestic individualsLn 2 | $487K | $487K | ||
| Grants and assistance to foreign recipientsLn 3 | $263K | $263K | ||
| Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5 | $669K | $363K | $154K | $153K |
| Other salaries and wagesLn 7 | $2.1M | $1.7M | $201K | $166K |
| Other employee benefitsLn 9 | $296K | $267K | $19K | $9K |
| Payroll taxesLn 10 | $204K | $156K | $26K | $22K |
| Legal feesLn 11b | $2K | $425 | $2K | |
| Accounting feesLn 11c | $44K | $27K | $17K | |
| Other fees for servicesLn 11g | $113K | $113K | ||
| Advertising and promotionLn 12 | $164K | $164K | ||
| Office expensesLn 13 | $216K | $157K | $60K | |
| Information technologyLn 14 | $21K | $5K | $16K | |
| OccupancyLn 16 | $291K | $99K | $192K | |
| TravelLn 17 | $53K | $53K | $601 | |
| Depreciation, depletion and amortizationLn 22 | $30K | $22K | $8K | |
| InsuranceLn 23 | $34K | $19K | $15K | |
| Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24 | $280K | $202K | $77K | |
| All other expensesLn 24e | $51K | $618K | −$567K | |
| Total functional expensesLn 25 | $5.9M | $5.3M | $141K | $426K |
Filing history
| Year | Money in | Money out | In minus out | Net assets | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2024 Latest | $11.8M | $13.2M | −$1.4M | $9.6M | 990 PDF |
| FY2023 | $10.2M | $9.8M | $395K | $11.0M | 990 PDF |
| FY2022 | $10.1M | $10.8M | −$717K | $10.6M | 990 PDF |
| FY2021 | $11.7M | $11.5M | $239K | $11.3M | 990 PDF |
| FY2020 Viewing | $9.3M | $5.9M | $3.4M | $11.1M | 990 PDF |
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Schedules filed Part IV
See the full FY2020 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $9,291,981 revenue, 12 lines filed
Part VI · Governance 16 of 17 board members independent, 3 to look at
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $9,291,981 across 10 lines filed
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $5,859,879 across 19 lines filed
Part X · Balance sheet $11,143,661 assets, 15 lines filed
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $11,099,486 net assets at year end
Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2020 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File
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